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Partnership extends research-based professional development for whole-school improvement focused on needs of ELL students, promising to close achievement gap and improve learning for all students under college and career readiness standards.

Margarita Calderón and Michael D. Toth

The emphasis on improving literacy and teaching students to perform close textual analyses makes this work imperative, not only for closing the achievement gap, but for ensuring success for all students striving to meet rigorous new state standards.

West Palm Beach, FL (PRWEB)July 01, 2014

Learning Sciences International announces its new partnership with Dr. Margarita Calderón, an internationally respected authority on ELL education. Dr. Calderón, a Senior Research Scientist and Professor Emerita at Johns Hopkins University, will head the Learning Sciences Calderón Center. The mission of the Calderón Center is to further the research and development of powerful instructional programs that help close the achievement gap for ELL students and struggling readers.

“With English-language learners now representing the fastest-growing segment of the public school population in the United States, we are honored to be able to draw on Dr. Calderón’s significant and valuable contributions to ELL research and practice,” says Learning Sciences International CEO Michael D. Toth. “We are truly excited about the implications of her work—not just for ELL students, but for any student struggling with reading or writing. The emphasis on improving literacy and teaching students to perform close textual analyses makes this work imperative, not only for closing the achievement gap, but for ensuring success for all students striving to meet rigorous new state standards.”

Over the past decade, Dr. Calderón has conducted remarkable research, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which has helped K-12 educators in New York City improve the academic performance of English-language learners. She is also a popular speaker, frequently presenting at major education conferences worldwide. Her prolific list of publications includes pedagogical books, teacher training manuals, and more than 100 articles on education.

Learning Sciences Calderón Center will provide professional development, research services, and technology for Dr. Calderon’s ELL programs. The Calderón Center will also publish Dr. Calderón’s forthcoming books through the Learning Sciences publishing division.

“I am so pleased to be collaborating with Learning Sciences International,” says Dr. Calderón. “Its research-based development of tools, technology, and processes will be instrumental in bringing meaningful progress to ELL classrooms. We share many of the same areas of focus and a deep commitment to improving classroom instruction and professional development—with the aligned goal of increasing achievement for all students.”